Tag Archives: cookbook

If you are anything like me, the photo on the cover of this book made my mouth water as soon as I saw it.

The book, An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair, was written by my friend Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic . This new release is Faith’s first cookbook , and I’m excited to be participating in her virtual book launch party and sharing a recipe from the book!

The book has over 100 Middle Eastern recipes, with a focus mainly on dishes from the Levant, but also a few recipes from other areas of the Middle East. Faith has a pretty unique story…after getting married Faith spent six months living in the Middle East, where she fell in love with the culture and cuisine. Subsequently, she returned four more times for visits, each time delving deeper into the cuisine and deepening her passion for and appreciation of the region. Recipes in her book are authentic Middle Eastern (taught to Faith mostly by her mother-in-law, Sahar), but streamlined just a bit for the way we cook today, with unique ingredients demystified and cooking techniques anyone can follow. If you didn’t grow up eating Middle Eastern food, it can be a difficult art to master; Faith understands that, and explains complicated dishes in an approachable, easy-to-follow way. The book is available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

After you check out the recipe below, please head over to Faith’s blog to check out her virtual book launch party to see the other bloggers who are participating. Also, as part of her virtual book launch, Faith is hosting a giveaway of a fabulous set of prizes. Be sure to head over and enter!

The recipe from the book that I’m sharing with you today is for Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts, along with a variation for Mixed White and Yellow Rice. The recipe is actually vegan so you won’t have any trouble incorporating it into a vegan or vegetarian meal, but it is just as delicious served with chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood, and it would be really fantastic with just about any curry dish. (In the cookbook, Faith recommends pairing Shrimp in Aromatic Tomato Sauce with this rice dish.)

I made this rice dish to go with one of my family’s favorite Middle Eastern dishes, Shish Taouk (chicken kebabs marinated in a yogurt/tomato/zataar mixture).

Faith’s rice dish was quick to put together, and complemented the kebabs beautifully. I can’t wait to work my way through the other recipes in the cookbook!

Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.

Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the onion to the saucepan you cooked the pine nuts in, and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the sultanas, boiling water, salt, and saffron (or turmeric), turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil.

Give the rice a stir, then cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes (do not open the lid during this time). Turn the heat off and let the rice sit (covered) 15 minutes, then ﬂuff with a fork.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top; serve.

OPTIONAL Add two pods of cardamom, two whole cloves, and one 2-inch (5 cm) piece of cinnamon stick at the same time that you add the rice.

Soak the rice in tepid water for 10 minutes; drain. While the rice is soaking, put half a kettle of water on to boil.

Add the oil to a medium, thick-bottomed lidded saucepan, cover and place over moderately high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the rice, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the boiling water to the rice, turn heat up to high, and bring it to a rolling boil. Give it a stir, cover the pot, turn heat down to very low, and cook 10 minutes (don’t open the lid during this time).

After the rice is cooked, let the pot sit with the lid on for 15 minutes, then ﬂuff the rice with a fork. Transfer 1/3 of the rice to a separate bowl.

Stir the saffron or turmeric-colored water into 1/3 of the rice (the rice will turn yellow). Mix together the yellow rice and white rice; serve.

Virginia Living Magazine captures a look at my own supper club, complete with photos from an evening at my house with recipes from my book, perfect for holiday entertaining. Here’s a look at one of the pics:

Photo by Kip Dawkins

In the spirit of celebration, I would like to share a recipe from my book (one of my favorite salads actually) that I hope you will enjoy in celebration sometime over the holidays with your friends at the table. — And since we are in the season of giving, I am giving away copy of my cookbook, personalized and shipped to one lucky winner!

Here’s what you need to do to enter (you have 4 ways to increase your chances):

1. Leave a comment telling me you would like to win a copy of Friends at the Table. *If you are leaving a comment as “anonomous”, please be sure to include your email address in your comment so that I may contact you if you are the winner.

4. Stumble this post on Stumble Upon and let me know you did here with a comment.

Giveaway entry period begins Friday, December 2nd, and ends Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 11:59pm. Drawing will be held Monday, December 12, 2011 at 9:00am (All times are Eastern Time zone) and announced the same day.

Comments will be numbered by order received and random.org will generate a random number for the winner. Please note: If you want to enter more than once, the separate comments for each entry are required (a necessary step for keeping track of entry numbers).

**Limited to residents of the United States

I am the final judge regarding any discrepancies, interpretations, grievances, etc about this drawing.

Winner must respond and claim the prize within one week of the winning announcement. If a winner does not claim the prize during the specified time, a reserve winner will be drawn from the original entries.

Best of luck!

And now for the recipe I promised:

Photo by Ron Manville

Lobster Salad with Roasted Peppers, Miso Dressing and Goat Cheese

Salad:

6 cups mixed field greens

Meat from 2 steamed (1 1/2 pound) lobsters, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 yellow bell peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch strips

5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

For the salad: Place the greens, lobster and peppers in a salad bowl and add enough dressing to coat. Toss well. Top with sprinkles of goat cheese.

Dressing:

4 tablespoons miso paste

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grated ginger root

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Juice from 2 oranges

1 teaspoon tahini paste

For the dressing: Whisk together the miso paste, vinegar, ginger, garlic, pepper, orange juice, and tahini in a small bowl. Set aside.

I had a great time making Crispy Halibut with Zucchini Ribbons and Lemon Basil Sauce as a guest on the 10! Show. They have a really nice set and live audience, which adds to the energy in the studio. The set crew helped make my job easier, getting everything organized and ready to roll; including prep for the fish dish I was about to prepare. The burner was set a little high though, which made for some interesting moments on live TV. We laughed our way through and had fun with it.

Have a look:

From the 10! Show, I had a break before my interview on the FIT show, a WHYY radio show hosted by Lari Robling, so I headed to the Redding Terminal Market for a quick walk through and a bite to eat.

Taking the advise of a fellow food blogger, I stopped at Dinic’s and ordered the roast pork sandwich with broccoli rabe and roasted peppers. Let’s just say the recommendation was spot on! This sandwich was killer. Make sure you get one of these when you visit Philadelphia. Way better than any cheese steak you will ever eat!

It was a good thing I had 8 blocks to walk to the WHYY studios, but probably not the best idea, that I did the walking in these…

You can catch my interview on FIT this Friday, 5/13 (check the WHYY website for time).

Then it was off to NYC. I had less than 24 hours in the Big Apple, and I made the most of every moment there.

What made the trip even more special was that my best friend was able to join me on this quick visit. We had dinner at Marea, which was spectacular from start to finish. The lobster with burrata cheese, eggplant, and tomatoes was especially nice.

The next morning it was up early and over to the Sirius/XM office for Martha Stewart radio. I was a guest on Morning Living, discussing supper clubs: who’s in one, and how do they work? We also talked about a few of the recipes in my cookbook: Cedar Planked Salmon with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes and Portabello Mushroom Bruschetta. I will have a link to the show set up on my main website next week sometime.

Though I definitely left my heart in San Francisco when we moved away, I also left a little piece of my heart in New York on this visit. Can’t wait to go back when I have more time!